"You play football with your head, and your legs are there to help you."

I am devastated. The only comfort I managed to gather upon hearing the news whilst stuck in horrible traffic in heavy rain at the back of a relentless week, was that even though Johan Cruyff has left us mere mortals, his spirit will never leave us in our minds and hearts. His legacy will live on parallel with football as we know it, and encapsulates the essence of what makes the game so beautiful. The Quintessence of Football. 

If I wanted you to understand how important he is to football, I would've explained it better.

Football owes Johan Cruyff an immense debt, which unfortunately but truthfully, can never be repaid. The books remain unbalanced for eternity. And, similar to how these hypothetical books remain unbalanced, the respect, love and inspiration I derive from the great man himself will never truly be explained. Mere words cannot express these emotions with any fulfilling conviction.

I maintain that Johan Cruyff is the greatest thing to happen to football and that he is one of the greatest player there ever was or will be. No one man has contributed more to football as both player and manager as he has. He's revolutionised the sport, changed it for the better, forever. Without Cruyff, the Xavis and Iniestas of this world wouldn't exist. Totaal Voetbal, Tiki Taka and the eponymous Cruyff Turn are but three examples of an everlasting legacy that we will all remember, and an impact on football that will never be repeated. This will live on through generations and will not fade to the savages of time.

In a way, he's probably immortal.

Thank you, Johan.